CHINA’S ACTIONS LED TO BORDER CONFRONTATION, SAYS ARMY CHIEF
NEW DELHI: China’s rising footprint in India’s neighbourhood, coupled with that country’s attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along disputed borders, has led to confrontation and mutual distrust, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Friday.
His comments, at a seminar on evolving security challenges in the country’s North-east and the way forward, come at a time when disengagement between Indian and Chinese troops is underway in the Pangong Tso area of eastern Ladakh.
The army chief said the regional security environment was characterised by Chinese belligerence in the Indo-Pacific, Beijing’s hostility towards weaker nations, and its relentless drive to create regional dependencies through steps such as the multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – a state-backed global infrastructure development project covering scores of countries. “The resultant Sino-US rivalry has created regional imbalances and instability,” Naravane said.
HE SAID A RENEWED FOCUS ON N-E WAS IN ORDER IN THE WAKE OF THE ONGOING SECURITY DYNAMICS ACROSS INDIA’S BORDERS
NEW DELHI: China’s rising footprint in India’s neighbourhood, coupled with that country’s attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along disputed borders, has led to confrontation and mutual distrust, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Friday.
His comments, at a seminar on evolving security challenges in the country’s North-east and the way forward, come at a time when disengagement between Indian and Chinese troops is underway in the Pangong Tso area of eastern Ladakh.
Experts said China’s actions were aimed at curtailing India’s leadership role in the region. “China’s aggressive behaviour along the Line of Actual Control as part of its strategy of military coercion, and increased footprint and investments in India’s neighborhood aim at restricting India strategic space and leadership role,” said Lt General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations.
The army chief said the regional security environment was characterised by Chinese belligerence in the Indo-Pacific, Beijing’s hostility towards weaker nations and its relentless drive to create regional dependencies through steps such as the multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative – a state-backed global infrastructure development project covering scores of countries.
Since it was unveiled in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, BRI has expanded to cover a vast swath of territory from South America to the Arctic, and includes plans to build a vast network of highways, ports, power plants, pipelines and other infrastructure. Both India and the US oppose BRI because it favours Chinese firms and Beijing employs predatory lending practices.
“The resultant Sino-US rivalry has created regional imbalances and instability.” He said a renewed focus on the North-east was in order in the wake of the ongoing security dynamics across India’s borders and the impact of the Covid-19. “Although endowed with natural resources, the North-east is a laggard in growth and development. Protracted insurgencies, legacy issues further accentuated after partition and inefficient integration with rest of India account for much of what the region faces today.”